AP News, December 15th, 2006
Marco Andretti became the third generation of his family to drive a Formula One car, making his debut Friday on the final day of winter testing.
Andretti posted a time of 1 minute, 21.873 seconds through 62 laps of the 2.748-mile circuit in a Honda 2006 RA106 car.
"I couldn't have had more fun today, and it's a shame that it was only a day," Andretti said. "It took me a little while to get used to the traction control and the brakes, but once I got to grips with them the times were more and more consistent."
The 19-year-old driver is the grandson of 1978 F1 champion Mario Andretti and the son of former McLaren driver and two-time IndyCar champion Michael Andretti.
Marco Andretti was given the chance to test with Honda after an impressive IRL debut campaign that included a runner-up finish at the Indianapolis 500 and seventh overall in the drivers standings. He was the Indy Racing League rookie of the year.
"He did a good job (Friday) and acclimatized himself well to the unfamiliar surroundings in the very short time that a one-day test provides," Honda sporting director Gil de Ferran said. "Marco looked comfortable straightaway with the car and the track, and overall it was a good first experience in a Formula One car."
Andretti is the latest in a group of next-generation drivers igniting excitement over the future of F1.
Nico Rosberg _ the 21-year-old son of 1982 world champion Keke _ debuted with Williams earlier this year, and Nelson Piquet Jr., whose father won three F1 championships, signed on as a Renault test driver for the upcoming season.
"Formula One does need a new influx of young people," Honda team director Nick Fry said. "We've got that with Lewis (Hamilton), (Robert) Kubica and (Heikki) Kovalainen, but there's a number of drivers in F1 who have been there a long time and I wouldn't anticipate that a number of them are going to be there much longer."
